Fibromyalgia decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran does not have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back pain and secondary service connection for low back pain due to fibromyalgia, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for fibromyalgia, headaches, neck pain other than fibromyalgia, thoracic and lumbar spine disability other than fibromyalgia, bilateral shoulder disability other than fibromyalgia, and bilateral leg pain other than fibromyalgia. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining additional medical records and conducting a comprehensive review of the veteran's claims file by an appropriately qualified physician to determine the nature and etiology of his fibromyalgia.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been granted, but the specific evaluations and effective dates are not specified.,Some issues remain pending as they were not addressed in this decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's fibromyalgia is related to her service, specifically the November 1999 injury during inactive duty for training.

The veteran's claims for PTSD and fibromyalgia were denied, as there is no credible evidence of the claimed stressors. The service connection claim for postoperative hemorrhoid disorder was also denied due to lack of a diagnosis of PTSD. A separate rating for the hemorrhoid disorder was granted, but the gastrointestinal disability claim remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the veteran's fibromyalgia is related to her military service. The veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and a VA examination will be conducted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a comprehensive examination to determine the nature and etiology of any claimed disabilities or symptoms.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities (myositis of the lumbar spine and left hip areas) may have contributed to or aggravated her fibromyalgia. The veteran is entitled to a TDIU rating effective from March 16, 2001.

The Board finds that the veteran's arthritis of the right fifth finger is due to an injury sustained during service and grants service connection for this condition. The Board also finds no evidence supporting a claim for other multiple joint arthritis, including back disability and fibromyalgia.

The Board found that the veteran did not timely file a notice of disagreement regarding the June 13, 2002 RO determinations. The initial ratings assigned by the RO are upheld as the veteran's fibromyalgia symptoms are not refractory to therapy and his headaches do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, bilateral shoulder tendonitis and strain, left shoulder bursitis, and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. The claims for hand disability and joint pain were not addressed as they are separate issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a right hip disorder or left hip disorder related to her active service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability and granted it, finding that new evidence supports the claim. The veteran is now diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome, which he believes relates to his low back pain.

The Board has granted service connection for fibromyalgia as a presumptive disability due to service in the Gulf War. Service connection was denied for back, neck, and right shoulder disabilities unrelated to fibromyalgia.

The Board denied a higher initial rating for fibromyalgia, finding that the veteran's symptoms did not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's claims for muscle spasms and Persian Gulf War syndrome were denied. However, the Board found that his irritable bowel syndrome is proximately due to a service-connected disability (fibromyalgia), thus granting this claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's type II diabetes mellitus, fibromyalgia, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and bullous emphysema, but denied reopening of the claims for CFS and IBS due to lack of new and material evidence. The veteran's current level of hearing loss is not a disability for VA purposes, and tinnitus has not been shown by competent medical evidence to be etiologically related to service.